I scanned the words briefly, but there is a lot of GRAPHIC noise which DISTRACTS from the text....!
Visually I found it problematic to read. It is quite easy to fix, just go simple. Don't press caps, italics, underscore etc.
Also, I wouldn't put in links, also distracting. When I have done these things, huge amount of research nobody ever clicked on then, so ration them to two or three.
Make the illustrations smaller, and keep the headlines the same size. It was difficult to tell if it was another article or not.
All these things make a difference to whether people read it or not. It could have done with being a bit shorter perhaps to avoid TLDNR syndrome.
So voting for the odd independent candidate is the alternative to the 'lesser of two evils'? I don't get it. Those of us on the left are devoid of a political culture, there is no politics for us to be a part of. This is the reality of our condition unfortunately. As to how long this condition will continue, I have no idea but if history is anything to go by, change will occur when the conditions change, radically and we are forced to respond to them. My fear is that it may well be too late by then to do much about it.
William: I did NOT suggest " voting for the odd independent candidate is the alternative to the 'lesser of two evils'?" In fact, I am preparing a critical article on the idea. But hundreds of "left indy" candidates + WPB + TUSC + Transform + Communist Culture etc. etc. candidates are standing. This phenomenon needs to be assessed.
I didn't suggest that you had advocated the odd independent response but hundreds? But even if true (which I doubt), it's an atomised and incoherent response, without focus and more importantly, within the context of a broken and utterly undemocratice electoral system.
The one time there was the possibility of organising outside the Parliamentary system, Jeremy Corbyn threw it away, abandoning the millions who supported him because his first allegiance was to the Labour Party, not the people who supported him.
Furthermore, you don't address the issue of the fundamental reality that there is no politics, which is why we have an atomised, fragmented response, hence 'WPB, TUSC' etc. It's all reactive, it's not political, it's not the result of an analysis. I'll say it again, there is NO politics.
William: " Furthermore, you don't address the issue of the fundamental reality that there is no politics, " I have been online almost non-stop since 6:30 a.m., posted at least two hundred messages, and it is now 11:17 p.m. Night night.
Hmm... well ultimately, it raises the fundamental issue that voting changes nothing substantial, given that the electoral system is setup in such a way that nothing substantial can be changed by voting, thus real change can only be enacted outside of the electoral system, that is to say, by extra-parliamentary action.
In fact, it can be argued that the electoral system exists precisely to STOP substantial change ever being made, at least when it exists under capitalism. After all, it's clear that that the capitalist system itself is the major obstacle to making substantial, that is, revolutionary transformation, the only way we can extricate ourselves from the crisis humanity faces.
Lorna's full article in New Left Review can be read here ( which I just saw) : https://www.jewishvoiceforlabour.org.uk/article/is-starmer-the-lesser-of-two-evils/
Dear TLL Readers
Yesterday I asked a good mate of mine (a straight shooter whose views I respect and will call X) what he thought of the latest TLL:
https://theleftlane2024.substack.com/p/cant-we-do-better-than-lesser-evilism
This is X’s response:
++++
I scanned the words briefly, but there is a lot of GRAPHIC noise which DISTRACTS from the text....!
Visually I found it problematic to read. It is quite easy to fix, just go simple. Don't press caps, italics, underscore etc.
Also, I wouldn't put in links, also distracting. When I have done these things, huge amount of research nobody ever clicked on then, so ration them to two or three.
Make the illustrations smaller, and keep the headlines the same size. It was difficult to tell if it was another article or not.
All these things make a difference to whether people read it or not. It could have done with being a bit shorter perhaps to avoid TLDNR syndrome.
The writing was on point though as normal!
X
++++++++++++++++++++
I replied:
+++++++++++++++
Thanks X. A lot to think over. I definitely do not want https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Too_long;_didn%27t_read ) !
So you think THE FORMAT should be more like this, right?
https://mondoweiss.net/2024/06/what-comes-after-gantzs-resignation/
[ 1400 words and no graphic distractions ]
Cheers
Alan
+++++++++++++++
So, dear readers, your views most appreciated below.
Alan
So voting for the odd independent candidate is the alternative to the 'lesser of two evils'? I don't get it. Those of us on the left are devoid of a political culture, there is no politics for us to be a part of. This is the reality of our condition unfortunately. As to how long this condition will continue, I have no idea but if history is anything to go by, change will occur when the conditions change, radically and we are forced to respond to them. My fear is that it may well be too late by then to do much about it.
William: I did NOT suggest " voting for the odd independent candidate is the alternative to the 'lesser of two evils'?" In fact, I am preparing a critical article on the idea. But hundreds of "left indy" candidates + WPB + TUSC + Transform + Communist Culture etc. etc. candidates are standing. This phenomenon needs to be assessed.
I didn't suggest that you had advocated the odd independent response but hundreds? But even if true (which I doubt), it's an atomised and incoherent response, without focus and more importantly, within the context of a broken and utterly undemocratice electoral system.
The one time there was the possibility of organising outside the Parliamentary system, Jeremy Corbyn threw it away, abandoning the millions who supported him because his first allegiance was to the Labour Party, not the people who supported him.
Furthermore, you don't address the issue of the fundamental reality that there is no politics, which is why we have an atomised, fragmented response, hence 'WPB, TUSC' etc. It's all reactive, it's not political, it's not the result of an analysis. I'll say it again, there is NO politics.
William: " Furthermore, you don't address the issue of the fundamental reality that there is no politics, " I have been online almost non-stop since 6:30 a.m., posted at least two hundred messages, and it is now 11:17 p.m. Night night.
For me, the conclusion is we can't keep voting for the lesser evil because it's inherently reactionary and right wing.
Thanks for jumping in from across the Atlantic Izzy. Can you send your email to us: theleftlanepolitics@gmail.com Alan
Hmm... well ultimately, it raises the fundamental issue that voting changes nothing substantial, given that the electoral system is setup in such a way that nothing substantial can be changed by voting, thus real change can only be enacted outside of the electoral system, that is to say, by extra-parliamentary action.
In fact, it can be argued that the electoral system exists precisely to STOP substantial change ever being made, at least when it exists under capitalism. After all, it's clear that that the capitalist system itself is the major obstacle to making substantial, that is, revolutionary transformation, the only way we can extricate ourselves from the crisis humanity faces.